Barcelona, an unmissable stop for international music

Barcelona (CNA).- Barcelona has been the only tour date in Spain for many international artists. In 2015, Madonna, U2, Bjork, Kate Perry and Arianna Grande, to name but a few, chose the Catalan capital to present their latest albums and in many cases offered more than one concert. During the first half of 2016, Adele and Coldplay's only tour dates in Spain will also be in Barcelona. All this musical offering comes in addition to the numerous international festivals held in the city; Primavera Sound, Sonar, Festival del Mil·leni and the International Jazz Festival always have big names on their programme and are each year attended by hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world. This Thursday, a less mass-oriented festival, Guitar BCN, announced its programme and will also be able to count on international names. Besides former Oasis leader Noel Gallagher and James Bay, the Cuban music ambassadors Buena Vista Social Club have also added a Barcelona date to what will be their farewell tour. 

International pop music icon Madonna performed on Thursday her second and last concert in Barcelona on her 'Rebel Heart Tour'. These two shows were the only dates in Spain and the same thing happened in 2012, when the "Blond Ambition" presented her album MDNA in Spain with a double concert in Barcelona. Madonna's special relationship with the Catalan capital was also made clear in 2001, when her 'Drowned World Tour' started in Barcelona. 

The Irish pop-rock band U2 offered not one but four shows in Barcelona this past October and these were the only Spanish dates on their ‘Innocence + Experience Tour’.

Bruce Springsteen deserves a special mention. He has visited Barcelona more than 12 times since 1981 and some of the concerts have been real milestones. The Catalan capital hosted a double concert on the E Street Band reunion world tour, in 1999, and in 2002 'Live in Barcelona' was the first Springsteen album to be recorded outside of the United States.

More recent but equally popular artists, such as Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, the controversial Lady Gaga and Beyoncé all chose Barcelona as their one and only stop in Spain in 2015.

This week two big names of the music industry also announced concerts in Barcelona: British singer Adele will perform in Palau Sant Jordi on the 24^th of May and the band Coldplay have also included Barcelona in their stadium tour 'A Head Full of Dreams'.

Worldwide renowned festivals

Barcelona is also famous for the number and quality of the festivals that it hosts. Primavera Sound is attended by hundreds of thousands of people each year, whom come from all over the world attracted by international names such as The Cure, Patty Smith, Pixies, Blur, Pet Shop Boys, Pulp, Wilco and many others. Sónar, the largest Festival of Advanced Music and New Media Art in Europe, has counted legends such as Kraftwerk, New Order, The Chemical Brothers, Duran Duran and Nile Rodgers amongst its performers.

However, the Barcelona festival offering also includes less popular styles such as the International Jazz Festival, Festival Suite, Festival del Mil·leni and Festival de Pedralbes. Lana del Rey, Anastacia, Diana Krall, Michel Camillo, Chucho Valdés, Johnny Hallyday, Paul Anka and many other big names have performed at these festivals.

Buena Vista Social Club’s farewell concert at Guitar BCN Festival

On Thursday, the Guitar BCN Festival 2016 announced its programme. Oasis leader Noel Gallagher and his band High Flying Birds will be amongst them, as well as the emotional pop-rock of James Bay. However, one of the most eagerly awaited bands will be Buena Vista Social Club. The Cuban music ambassadors added Barcelona to the list of cities that will be part of their farewell tour. Besides the international artists, singer and songwriter Luis Eduardo Auto will open the festival at Barcelona's Palau de la Musica, Catalan singer Quimi Portet will present his latest album in May and guitar player 'Tomatito' will display his repertoire of flamenco masterpieces.